By His Side
by Noodleslove
Summary: SasuNarushuonenai. Sasuke contemplates his decision to leave and runs into Naruto while out for a walk.


By His Side

Author: Noodleslove

This is SasuNaru. Which means shounen-ai, yaoi, slash, whatever you would like to call it. If you do not enjoy this, please hit the back button. I do not want you to read this and then feel the need to flame me if you will not enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: Naruto and characters belong to Mr. Kishimoto

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Sasuke walked slowly down the dark, lonely street. His soft footfalls echoing much too loudly against the concrete ground.

With his head hung and his back unusually bent, he was the picture of solitude. And though solitude was what one normally associated with the youngest Uchiha, somehow, tonight, against a full moon that seemed too big for the sky; tall, morose buildings; and a long dark street, he looked too small. Too alone.

Sasuke pulled his hand out of his pocket, looking almost translucent in the light, and ran it through his dark hair. Gripped the hair at the back of his head until his knuckles were white. Tugged. Tugged again. He pulled at the long spikes in frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache. Closed his eyes, still walking.

And as he sighed softly to himself, rain began to fall. Sasuke turned his head up to the sky and with the moon as a backdrop the rain appeared as gold falling.

Sasuke stopped, stood, and let the rain wash over him. Drops falling from his long eyelashes blurring his already clouded vision.

He stood like this, deep in dark and difficult thought, for how long Sasuke didn't know. Seconds, minutes, an hour? It was all the same to him. All time lead to the inevitable moment when he would leave all this behind. His friends, his memories… his home. …Home. It would all have to be forgotten, all for the sake of avenging his family.

Sometimes, in private moments of weakness, Sasuke wondered if it wouldn't have been better if he hadn't been spared at all. The task of leaving the things he held dear (though he tried so hard to remain at a distance) behind was a much more painful one than being killed, he was sure.

This was one of those moments of weakness, though it would not remain private for long.

Sasuke sensed someone coming before he heard the sound of someone jumping lightly across the rooftops near to him.

Naruto. Though he wasn't wearing his orange jacket (Sasuke assumed it had been left at home) there was no mistaking the bright spiked hair. And even before seeing him, no mistaking the bright chakra Sasuke had come to associate with his team member.

Naruto saw Sasuke, stopped in his tracks, perched on the eavestrough of the roof he was on and looked down at Sasuke.

Sasuke turned his head away and continued walking.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said. Though he spoke not loudly, his voice bounced noisily against the heavy stone walls. Naruto winced at the sound and jumped to the ground below.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke," he called again.

Sasuke pointedly ignored him and kept walking slowly down the street. It wasn't that he hadn't heard Naruto. There was no way he didn't hear Naruto.

"Hmph, what's his problem?" Naruto crossed his arms and glared at Sasuke's retreating back. Not one to take being ignored lightly, Naruto jogged to catch up to Sasuke, slowing his pace when he reached his side.

"Bastard, don't ignore me," he said in a low voice. "What are you doing out here at this hour? It's raining."

Obviously pretending Naruto wasn't there wouldn't make him go away, so Sasuke sighed, rolled his eyes and said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Thanks for the weather report. You're out here too, idiot, so why act so surprised?"

Naruto laughed self-consciously. "Ah, yeah well, I just like the rain. It's refreshing, that's all." He raised his hands to the sky, palms out and the rain pooled there for a moment before running down his arms in small streams.

"So, why are you out here, Bastard?" He lowered his hands, turned to look at Sasuke and noticed the way the muscles in his face were tightened almost painfully.

"No reason." Sasuke brushed him off and began to pick up his pace. Sasuke was leaving the village soon. He didn't want a reminder of the things he was leaving behind. Not now. Not so close to that day. It was too painful.

Naruto either didn't notice, or chose to ignore Sasuke's quickened stride. He fell right into step with him again.

"Hm, no reason? Well, I'd be worried about that expression on your face if you didn't already look like you have a stick up your ass all the time already."

Sasuke clicked his tongue but made no other sign he had even heard Naruto.

"Well, where are you going, then?" Naruto pressed.

If he hadn't worked closely with Naruto almost every day during training or missions, he would barely have been able to believe Naruto's persistence. But he did, so it didn't come as a surprise. It was just faintly annoying.

"My house," Sasuke said shortly. He didn't want this right now. Didn't want to think about…

"I've never seen where you live. I'll walk with you." Naruto cut through his thoughts.

"Why?"

Naruto smiled. "Why not? Got nothing better to do anyway."

They walked together in silence for a few minutes. Sasuke looking at the ground, the sky, anywhere but at his side. He could feel Naruto all around. Forcing his way roughly into Sasuke's senses. Try as he might to block out the blonde's presence it was impossible. Even if he wasn't trying to make himself known, Naruto had a way of letting you know he was there, like it or not. At least, in Sasuke's case.

It was especially hard to pretend Naruto wasn't there when all Sasuke could feel were Naruto's eyes boring into him.

"What?" Sasuke bit out sharply.

Naruto didn't even flinch, used to Sasuke's brash attitude. "Nothing," he replied. "Except you look so tense. I can never stay tense in the rain. It's so relaxing."

Sasuke snorted. "You're spending far too much time at home with all those stupid plants of yours. You're starting to sound like one of them."

"Maybe," Naruto said, a bright grin on his face, "but it's better than sounding like a bastard."

Sasuke's eyebrow quirked, almost a smile, and he spared Naruto a glance.  
This was, Sasuke thought, probably the last 'smile', last 'conversation', last anything he would share with Naruto.

A sigh slipped from his mouth unbidden. Naruto didn't know that Sasuke was leaving. Sasuke wondered; would he even care when Sasuke was gone?

He had to end these thoughts. Had to get away from Naruto now. He stopped suddenly and Naruto paused beside him.

"I'm going to go on ahead alone. You go home too. It's late and we have to train tomorrow. He looked at Naruto's black T-shirt. "You're going to get sick without a jacket."

"But-" Naruto began.

Sasuke held up his hand, cutting Naruto off. "You're going to get sick without a jacket and I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to you bitch all day because Kakashi makes you watch us train because you're too ill."

Naruto squinted at Sasuke. "You're not wearing a ja-"

"Hmph," Sasuke said, and turned his back to Naruto.

"Fine then, Bastard. I was only trying to keep you company since you looked so lonely." Naruto turned to leave and said, "You always look lonely." And as he began to walk away he said more to himself, though Sasuke heard him all the same, "You don't need to feel so alone when I could be by your side, instead."

Naruto shrugged it off. It was just Sasuke being Sasuke. Like always. He jumped back to the rooftop to finish his nighttime 'stroll'.

Sasuke hunched his shoulders, as if Naruto's words had sent a chill breeze in his direction.

He turned to watch Naruto's retreating back. Sasuke would still leave. Despite Naruto's words. His words couldn't change Sasuke's mind, or his life's purpose. But he would keep those words locked inside him, even when he forced himself to forget everything else for the sake of revenge.

Though he had to leave everything behind, deep inside, he felt - he knew- that he really would always have Naruto by his side.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I believe this was the first SasuNaru I had ever written, so I hope it was in character and a good read for everyone.

Please review and let me know what you thought.


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